Tea and the Gospel

The first day we were in Flushing, New York, my team prayer-walked around the city to find locations for conducting surveys the next day. We were conducting surveys about the new churches to be planted in that area, to determine how people felt about religion in general and new church plants. We prayed that people would take the time out of their busy lives to talk with us and have open hearts to hear about Jesus Christ.

The next day, we returned to a local mall. It was not as busy as the day before, however, people were not willing to take time to talk to us. Feeling discouraged after not having any conversations, we decided to go to a tea shop in the mall. After getting our tea, my teammate and I sat down next to a couple sitting at a table waiting for their food. We asked them if they had time to answer a few questions from our survey.

The man said “yes” and we started asking questions about how a new church could meet needs in the community and what they might expect from a new church in the area. The man replied, “I wouldn't know what to expect from a new church because I don't know anything about religion at all.”

We proceeded to share our testimonies to help him see how important the Gospel was to us and how Christ had transformed our lives. Then, we shared the Gospel with him through a Evangecube and a pamphlet in Chinese so that he could understand it in his native language.

My teammate and I took turns sharing parts of the Gospel as the man listened intently. After we finished talking to him, he told us he didn't have any questions for us and they received their food and left. Although this man did not accept Christ or have any further questions about pursuing Christ, we were able to plant a seed in his life.

I am blown away that God called me to New York to have this conversation that was planned before I was even born. I am so thankful that God works everything together for His glory. He is calling people to Himself and I am so grateful to be a small part of His plan. I learned that I can't assume that everyone around me knows Christ. Being intentional about sharing Christ with people has to be a part of everyday life; everyone needs the hope of Christ.